Attaching means for ear ornaments



Jufly M, 1935. T. s. BENNETT 2 %8382 ATTACHING MEANS FOR EAR ORNAMENTS Filed Aug. 30, 1934 fizzy ways Patented July 16, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ATTAGHING MEANS FOR EAR OBNAMENTS Thomas S. Bennett, North Attleboro, Mass. Application August 30, 1934, Serial No. 742,091

10 Claims. (01. 03-14) This invention relates to ear ornaments and consists in an improved means for securing the ornament in place on the lobe of the car.

A principal object of the invention is to provide an ornament of the type indicated having means for adjustably clamping it to the lobe of the ear to effect a secure hold thereon without uncomfortable pressure.

Another object of the invention is to provide an ornament of the type indicated having resilient detent-means for holding the clamping means in adjusted position to prevent accidental release of the ornament from the car while permitting its manual release to remove the ornament from the ear.

Another object of the invention is to provide an ornament of the type indicated wherein the detent-means for the clamping means consists of a pawl engageable with closely-spaced ratchetteeth to provide for a minute adjustment in the pressure of the clamping member against the ear lobe.

Another object of the invention is to provide an ornament of the type indicated having clamping means which are simple in construction and durable in use with the parts adapted for economical manufacture from sheet-metal stampings.

Further objects of the improvement are set forth in the following specification which describes a preferred embodiment of the invention, by way of example, as illustrated by the accompanying drawing. In the drawing:

Fig. l is a side View of the improved ornament and its attaching means, showing the method of applying it to the lobe of the ear;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 in enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the clamping member swung open for attaching the ornament to or removing it from the ear lobe;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the device;

Fig. 5 is an end view thereof;

Fig. 6 is a composite perspective view of the several parts of the device in disassembled relationship; and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the blank from which the clamping member is formed.

In the manufacture of ornaments to be worn on the ears, various means have been devised for securing the ornament in place. In a common form of construction a binder-screw is provided adapted to be tightened against the ear lobe to hold the ornament fixedly in place. This method of attaching the ornament has the disadvantage of being uncomfortable and irritating the ear because of the pressure thereagainst. Another known construction provides clamping means which is resiliently pressed against the ear lobe to hold the ornament in place. It has been found in practice that with this latter form of construction the clamping member is liable to become accidentally loosened to cause loss of the ornament from the ear. a

To overcome the disadvantages above noted the present invention provides an ear ornament having a clamping member adapted to be engaged against the ear lobe combined with detentmeans for adjustably retaining it in operative position. Specifically, the present improved ear ornament comprises a clamping member hingedly connected to the ornamental object and pr0- vided with a resilient pawl engageable with relatively closely spaced teeth on the hinge joint. Through this means the clamping member may be accurately adjusted in position to bear lightly against the earlobe while being maintained in its adjusted position by the engagement of the pawl with the ratchet-teeth; the danger of accidental opening of the clamping member being thus overcome.

Referring to the present drawing, 2 designates an ornament which may be of any desired form or contour and constructed from any suitable material; the particular ornament herein illustrated being of conventional shape in the nature of a pearl. Attached to the back of the ornament 2 is a disk-like member 3 of frusto-conical or concavo-convex form with an axially protruding portion 4 which may be knurled on its face as shown to adapt it to securely grip the side of the ear lobe. I The disk 3 may be secured to the ornament 2 by any suitable means such as the screw 5, herein shown, or by cementing or soldering it thereto.

The disk 8 is formed at one side with an extension or arm 1 having an ear or bearing portion 8 at its end, see Fig. 6. The arm i is twisted at Q to adapt its head i to stand in a plane at right-angles to that of the fiat face of the disk 3. The head 8 is pierced with a central hole It for receiving a pin or rivet I2 upon which the clamping member I! is pivoted in the manner as later explained. A portion of the rim or periphery of the head 8 on the arm 1 is formed with relatively fine, closely-spaced ratchet-teeth l3 which are engaged by a pawl 20 on the clamping member iii to retain the latter in different positions of ad-- justment. V

The clamping member I5 is preferably constructed from sheet-metal blanked out in the form shown in Fig. '7 and bent to the shape illustrated in Fig. 6. As shown in Fig. 7 the member I5 is blanked from sheet-metal with a contour resembling a conventional fieur-de-lis. The stem portion l6 of the blank is narrowed at one end and then widened in arcuate outline to form an elliptical portion II. The opposite end of the stem I 6 of the blank is reduced in width and continued in a straight strip 20, the terminal portion of which is bent over and tapered to form a pointed toe 2|. At the juncture of the portion i6 and strip 20 the blank is extended laterally in arcuate contour to provide two curved arms 24 formed at their ends with rounded ears or bearings which are pierced or punched with circular holes 26.

The blank shown in Fig. 7 is formed into the curved clamping member l5 of the shape illustrated in Fig. 6 by folding the arms 24 at rightangles to the main stem "5 in planes common to the dash-lines in Fig. 7 and bending the head H as shown. The strip 20 is then formed as a resilient pawl by bending it into arcuate shape be tween the opposite sides of the curved arms 24 in the manner as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 6.

The clamping member i5 is hingedly connected to the arm 1 on the disk-member 3 by inserting the head 8 at the end of the arm between the ears 25 at the bifurcated end of the clamping member. The hinge-pin I2 is then inserted through the alined holes 26 and ill and its ends headed over as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 to pivotally connect the parts together. During the assembly of the parts in the above manner the pawl 20 is flexed outwardly to efiect a yieldable engagement of its toe 2! with the ratchet-teeth l3. The ornament is attached to the ear in the manner as next explained.

The clamping member I5 is first swung into open position as shown in Fig. 3 by inserting the end of the finger under the head I! and swinging the member on its pivot l2 to cause the toe 2| of the pawl 20 to ride over the ratchet-teeth 13 on the edge of the ear 8. As the clamping member i5 is swung open in this manner the pawl 20 serves as a detent for yieldingly retaining it in position.

To apply the ornament to the ear lobe, indicated by the dot-and-dash lines designated L in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the disk 3 is placed against the front side thereof as shown in Fig. 3 and the clamping member I5 then swung around on its hinge until its head l1 presses lightly against the rearward side of the ear. As the clamping member I5 is swung into closed position the toe 2| of the pawl 20 rides over the teeth l3 and eventually comes to rest between the appropriate teeth to yieldably hold the clamping member in adjusted position. The ratchet-teeth l3 are relatively fine and closely spaced to provide for a minutely accurate adjustment of the clamping member to insure a snug fit of the device on the ear while avoiding uncomfortable pressure thereagainst. The clamping member may be readily pried open with the finger to detach the ornament from the ear yet it is not liable to become accidentally opened in use due to the eifective action of the resilient pawl 20. I

It will be observed from the foregoing that the present invention provides a novel and ingenious means for attaching ornaments to the ears of the wearer. As a feature of improvement the present invention provides a clamping means which may be minutely adjusted and maintained in position to effect a firm grip on the ear lobe without any uncomfortable binding or pinching action. After the ornament has been attached to the ear the detent-means resists any unwarranted movement of the clamping member and thus the ornament is more securely held in place and the danger of its detachment and loss is entirely eliminated. The present invention therefore provides an improvement over similar devices of known type wherein the clamping member is operated by spring means liable to lose its tension and become weakened through constant use to result in loss of the ornament from the ear.

The present device is extremely simple in construction with its parts adapted for economical manufacture from sheet-metal and convenient for assembling without the use of threaded or soldered connections or the employment of special tools. Moreover, the improved device does not detract from the artistic appearance of the ornament and may be used in connection with ornaments of various shapes and sizes. The device is herein shown as applied to use on an ornament of button shape but the ornament may take other forms. By slightly modifying the member 3 to provide an ornamental outer surface the clamping means may be employed for attaching an ear-drop suspended therefrom.

While I have herein shown and described the improved ornament attaching means as embodied in a preferred form of construction, it is to be understood that various modifications may be made in the structure and arrangement of the parts of the device without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, without limiting myself in this respect, I claim:

1. In a device of the type indicated, the combination of a part adapted to engage against the ear, a clamping member movable with respect thereto, and pawl-'and-ratchet means for retaining said clamping member in different positions of adjustment, said pawl having its end formed as a detent for engaging the ratchet.

2. In a device of the type indicated, the combination of an ornament, a clamping member, means for pivoting the clamping member to the ornament, and pawl-and-ratchet means for yieldably retaining the clamping member in different positions of adjustment, said pawl having its depending free end yieldingly engaging the ratchet.

3. In a device of the type indicated, the combination of a support for an ornament provided with ratchet-teeth on its outer edge, a clamping member pivoted to the support, and a pawl on the clamping member movable over the outer edge of the support with its end engageable with the ratchet-teeth to retain the clamping member in different positions of adjustment.

4. In a device of the type indicated, a stationary member for supporting an ornament, said member engageable with one side of the ear lobe, an adjustable member for engaging the opposite side of the lobe, and pawl-and-ratchet means between the stationary and adjustable members for retaining said members pressing against the ear lobe with a comfortable fit, said pawl having its free end spring-pressed into engagement with the ratchet.

5. In a. device of the type indicated, a member for supporting an ornament, said member formed with a bearing having detent-notches, a clamping member hingedly connected to the bearing on the supporting member, and a yieldable pawl on the clamping member having its free end cooperating with the detent-notches to maintain the clamping member in diflferent positions of angular adjustment.

6. In a device of the type indicated, a member for supporting an ornament, said member adapted to engage against one side of the ear lobe, a clamping member pivotally connected to the stationary member and provided with means engageable with the opposite side of the lobe, notches formed in the supporting member and arranged in an arc concentric to the pivotal axis of the clamping member, and a pawl on the clamping member having its free end movable toward the pivotal axis and engageable with the notches for retaining the clamping member in diflerent positions of angular adjustment.

7. In a device of the type indicated, a member adapted to engage against one side of the earlobe and formed with an extension, a circular bearing on the extension provided with ratchet-teeth on its periphery, a clamping member pivoted to the bearing and adapted to bear against the opposite side of the ear lobe, and a pawl formed integral with the clamping member and yieldingly engageable with the ratchet-teeth on the periphery of the circular bearing to retain the clamping member in different positions of adjustment.

8. In a device of the type indicated, a member adapted to engage against one side of the ear lobe, a second member hingediy connected to the first member and adapted to engage against the ppmsite side of the ear lobe, and means for retaining the second member in difierent positions of angular adjustment with respect to the first member comprising ratchet-teeth on one member and a pawl of resilient material on the other member having its end engageable with the ratchetteeth.

9. In a device of the type indicated, a member adapted to engage against one side of the ear lobe and provided with a bearing having ratchet-teeth on its rim, a second member having portions straddling the bearing and pivoted thereto to adapt it to be swung into position against the opposite side of the earlobe, and a resilient pawl integral with the second member and adapted to engage the ratchet-teeth to yieldably maintain the two members lightly pressed against the sides V of the ear lobe.

10. In a device of the type indicated, a member for supporting an ear ornament, said member having a bearing provided with ratchet-teeth, and a clamping. member formed from a single piece of stock folded to provide a bifurcated structure having opposite sides straddling the bearing and pivoted thereto, said clamping member also formed with an integral resilient pawl extending between thesides of its bifurcated portion with its end arranged to engage with the ratchet-teeth on the bearing to yieldably maintain the clamping member in different positions of adjustment.

THOMAS S. BENNE'I'I. 

